The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and should not be construed as constituting prior art.
Many portions of the human anatomy naturally articulate relative to one another. Generally, the articulation of these anatomic regions is smooth and non-abrasive in nature, particularly in the presence of natural tissues, such as cartilage and strong bone.
Over time, however, due to injury, stress, degenerative health problems and various other issues, the ease by which these anatomic regions are able to articulate degenerates in quality, thereby leaving the articulation of these anatomic regions abrasive and impractical. For example, injury may cause the cartilage or the bony structure to become weak, damaged, or even non-existent. As a result, the natural articulation of these anatomical regions is no longer possible for these affected individuals.
At such times, it may be desirable to replace the affected anatomical regions with a prosthetic component or other such biomedical implant device so that normal articulation may be restored. To replace the affected anatomical region with a prosthetic component or implant device, various instruments for inserting, positioning and/or impacting the device within the anatomical region of interest may be used as part of the orthopedic procedure. While several different types of instruments are commercially available to accomplish these tasks, many of these devices are relatively large in size, not to mention difficult to assemble and to operate, particularly as many of these devices are limited by ergonomic shortcomings. Moreover, many of these devices are difficult to clean/sterilize, thereby leaving hospitals frustrated with trying to validate and pass the short sterilization and cleaning cycles mandated by the FDA. As such, there is a need to provide an improved and reusable implant insertion device that addresses one or more of these known deficiencies within the art.